We've been in India during the biggest democratic elections in the history of our planet and it's not over yet. Voting has been moving around the states.We got out of Uttar Pradesh just before election day, it had already happened in Rajasthan but it finally caught up with us in Punjab. We left Amristar on election day. Very weird. The city was like a ghost town. No cars,no trucks or busses, all shops closed, the streets were empty save for cows and people walking or in rickshaws heading off to vote. It made for a fast getaway. We shared a large ac taxi with a lovely young Russian couple. They had been in India the last 3 years so I asked them how they coped with poverty and beggars. On our 22 hour bus trip we had the opportunity to stop at many bus stations where there was many beggars. But are the children controlled by gangs? Are the old men addicts? Why don't the families help the old widows? Our Russian friends said "no easy answers". Like them sometimes I give money, sometimes I don't. We gave a large donation to a hospital we visited and give generous tips. Is that enough? I've been trying to understand the politics. Talking to the tuktuk and taxi drivers, the staff at the guesthouses everyone has a different opinion but unanimously want a better India that looks after its poor, has less corruption, better health and education. So far voting turnout has been 80% so heres hoping that 800 million people get it right. I'll put my faith in democracy and let you know on May 14th the result of the biggest vote on earth.
We've travelled back to the himalayas to a village above dharamsala the home of the dalailama. Seeing the mountains again was like a jolt of pure iv adrenaline. Joy. Being up 1700m in the sky, surrounded by trees, waterfalls and birds brings a soothing coolness and peace. I've loved the places we've been in India but they're often frantic, dirty and sometimes desperate. Time for some clean mountain air, quiet and calm. Apparently the Dalailama is in the house so I'll keep an eye out for him.
Namaste Sandy
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